China's Great Wall Motor Co., Ltd., said on Wednesday it expected to export 40,000 units in 2006, encouraged by last year's export of 1,852, the biggest of all domestic automakers.

The privately-owned auto manufacturer based in Baoding, north China's Hebei Province, attributed its continuous export growth mainly to the swift sales of its pickup models, such as Deer, Sailor and Socool, in overseas markets.

The company has exported 12,000 vehicles to Russia, and its products are enjoying a growing market share in the Middle East.

"In addition to vehicle export, Great Wall Motor is beginning to export technology and capital to overseas markets, which will help reinforce its brand value in the overseas market," said Jiang Lei, secretary-general of the China Association of Automotive Industry.

At the end of last year, the company completed construction of a 1,500-square-meter warehouse in Moscow, which enables the company to provide better after-sale service to local customers with its 20 million yuan (2.5 million US dollars) worth of auto parts.

Source: Xinhua